In the dark, empty cell of the dwarven prison, Gobta was inside a cocoon. Its shape was round and made from thread, hanging from the ceiling—upside down.
The reason Gobta was in this situation was because he hadn't been paying attention to what Rimuru-sama was saying and had fallen asleep. As punishment, Rimuru-sama had sentenced him to what he called "Bagworm Hell."
However, it didn't cause Gobta any pain or suffering. Though he couldn't tear the thread with force, it was actually quite comfortable. Since the thread could stretch, he could move his body. But no matter how violently he struggled, the thread wouldn't snap; it would only swing back and forth. Noticing that a while ago, Gobta tried to quiet down.
Even though Gobta knew it was his fault for slacking off in such a dire situation, he felt it was too cruel for Rimuru-sama to leave him here alone.
"Rimuru-sama went to the night shop with the others. I think it's awful. I wanted to go too…" Gobta grumbled, his voice echoing in the dark, empty cell, reinforcing his loneliness.
"I think Rimuru-sama is really stingy. I only slept a little," Gobta complained. But the same went for Captain Riguru and Chief Rigurudo—they were also furious for the same reason, Gobta thought.
Since it was unlikely Gobta could escape on his own, he tried to summon his Storm Fanged Wolf partner for help.
"Ah! I still can't do it," Gobta said in a disappointed tone. But he wasn't too upset about it—after all, even Captain Riguru couldn't do it. It wasn't an easy thing to accomplish.
Nonetheless, Bagworm Hell wasn't causing him pain or discomfort, so he could spend the free time without any real problem.
Well, I should wait until he comes back. Surely, he'll let me down tomorrow. I should be patient tonight, Gobta thought. Though he didn't blindly worship Rimuru like the other goblins did, he trusted that Rimuru wouldn't abandon him here.
---------
Gobta felt a little strange. A whole day had passed overnight, but Rimuru-sama and the others still hadn't come back.
"Did something happen?"Gobta wondered. 'Maybe they just spent the night somewhere else after walking around', Gobta thought.
His stomach grumbled loudly.
"I'm so hungry... I wish they'd come back soon..."
---------
"It's dangerous!!!"
By the third day, Rimuru-sama and the others still hadn't come back.
At first, Gobta was just confused.
Then, he was hungry.
Now?
He was in a full-blown crisis.
Sure, hunger was a problem. But something far more urgent had taken control of his life.
"Pi—Gorogorogoro..."
"M-my stomach… it hurts…"
Gobta clutched his gut as best he could while hanging upside down in the cocoon. He was desperately holding it in—his mental fortitude stretched thinner than the thread suspending him.
And then came the real terror.
The floor below him? Carpet.
Expensive-looking dwarven carpet.
If it were stone, sure, maybe he could have accepted his fate. But if he ruined the carpet, Kaijin-san would absolutely obliterate him.
Oh no. Oh no no no. What do I do?!
He wriggled, trying to shift position—but that just made the thread swing harder, jostling his full bladder like a water balloon in a wind tunnel.
This is bad. This is really bad.
Gobta was sweating bullets. His face was pale. From the moment he started swinging, the situation went from survivable to catastrophic waiting to happen.
Why hasn't Rimuru-sama come back?! Did he forget?!
"That stingy slime! I only slept a little! And now he's abandoned me like I'm some old sock?! Are you serious right now?!" Gobta yelled, furious.
His voice echoed off the prison walls, as if mocking his suffering.
"I bet they're all eating something amazing right now..... Ughhh!!! I'm gonna die hanging like an idiot!"
From sheer stress, his greasy sweat wouldn't stop pouring. His vision blurred. His spirit cracked.
This is it. This is how I go. Forgotten. Full bladder. Hanging from the ceiling like laundry.
But just as he was about to mentally sign off on his life—
Wait… one last try…
He focused. He reached deep within.
And for reasons even Gobta couldn't understand—his Storm Fanged Wolf partner actually appeared!
"Partner!! You're here!! Finally!! You have no idea how close I was to disaster!"
The wolf blinked, confused but obedient.
"No time to explain! Emergency transport to the nearest toilet, please!!"
Without asking questions, the wolf scooped him up—cocoon and all—and bolted.
Somehow, some way, Gobta made it in time.
And in that moment, sitting in sweet relief, he knew peace.
(Ahhh… this is heaven…)
---
A few minutes later...
"Hey, uh... how do we go back?" his wolf asked, tilting its head.
Gobta blinked.
"...I have no idea."
"..."
There was a long pause.
Then, like any reasonable magical beast, the Storm Fanged Wolf broke a wall and ran like hell, crashing through the dwarven prison gates with Gobta clinging to its back like a dangling backpack.
"WE'LL APOLOGIZE LATER!!!" Gobta screamed as they disappeared into the distance.
----------
Border of the Dwarven Country
"I feel like I'm forgetting something..." Rimuru muttered, staring off into the distance.
After a second of trying to remember, he shrugged.
"Eh, probably nothing."
But just as he turned to keep walking, something—no, someone—came hurtling toward them at ridiculous speed, kicking up dust and panic.
Rimuru squinted.
"...Wait. Is that...?"
Then he saw it.
Gobta.
Clinging to his Storm Fanged Wolf, flying at top speed, eyes burning with righteous fury.
Rimuru's face paled.
"Oh crap. I did forget about him!"
The moment the wolf skidded to a stop, Gobta launched off its back and tackled Rimuru mid-air.
"YOU FORGOT ME, YOU SLIMEY TRAITOR!!" Gobta roared, shaking Rimuru like a rag doll.
Nearby goblins and wolves froze mid-step, jaws dropping.
Everyone just stood there, horrified, watching Gobta manhandle their beloved lord.
"H-he's shaking Rimuru-sama..."
"Is this… allowed?!"
But Gobta didn't care. He was done caring. He had been imprisoned, starved, and emotionally scarred.
"Do you have any idea what I went through?! I almost peed on Kaijin's carpet! I saw my life flash before my eyes!! YOU LEFT ME TO ROT!!"
Rimuru, still mid-shake, could only manage:
"Okay okay okay! I'm sorry! Just—calm down!!"
To stop the chaos, Rimuru had to promise—in front of everyone—that he'd take Gobta to the elf shop personally next time.
That was the only way to pacify the furious goblin.
After Gobta finally calmed down, Rimuru—wanting to change the subject—said with a cheerful smile
"Anyway! Congratulations on summoning your wolf! I knew you could do it, buddy!"
He even threw in a thumbs-up for good measure.
Gobta, whose mood had improved considerably after unloading three days' worth of pent-up frustration, puffed up his chest proudly.
"You bet I can!" he declared.
To really show off, he raised his hand and summoned his wolf partner again, pulling it from a few meters away to right beside him with a puff of magicules.
The surrounding goblins gasped in awe.
Even Rimuru was genuinely impressed.
"Huh... he's actually the first one to pull this off," Rimuru thought, raising a metaphorical eyebrow.
'Gobta might be a fool, but that doesn't mean he's incompetent. Come to think of it… he once made a four-month journey on foot, alone, scavenging for food the entire time. If he were weak, he'd never have survived that. Huh... maybe I've been underestimating him a little.'
And with that realization, Rimuru's mental evaluation of Gobta rose by a few precious points.
...Though he also had a strong feeling it would drop again very soon.
---
After preparations for the journey were complete, everyone mounted their respective Tempest Wolves. However, with a few extra members in the group now, they had to make some logistical adjustments.
Ranga and Gobta's partner ended up carrying the dwarf brothers and all their luggage.
As for Gobta—well, his wolf was already in service, and Rimuru really didn't want to risk another emotional meltdown. So, he decided to mimic the form of a Tempest Star Wolf and let Gobta ride on his back.
Gobta was absolutely thrilled.
The other goblins, however, stared in silence, jealousy simmering under their breath. Rimuru clearly gave Gobta special treatment—but no one dared to complain aloud.
And so, as
they rode through the forest trails with the wind in their faces, Gobta clung to Rimuru with sparkles in his eyes.
That day, Gobta discovered something important:
Riding Rimuru was now his favorite hobby.